LYONS, Colo. (AP) — Heavy rains and scarring from recent wildfires sent walls of water crashing down mountainsides early Thursday in Colorado, cutting off mountain towns and causing the University of Colorado to cancel classes. At least three people are reported dead.

This is what Associated Press reporters on the scene Thursday are learning about the unfolding events:

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9:07 p.m. MDT

The White House has announced that President Barack Obama approved federal disaster assistance for hard-hit Boulder, El Paso and Larimer counties, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the relief effort.

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7 p.m. MDT

National Guard trucks have begun bringing a handful of evacuees out of Lyons, including a woman in a wheelchair. Ambulances are waiting to transport those who need medical attention. More Guard trucks are prepared to head back to the isolated town.

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5:57 p.m. MDT

Authorities say a firefighter who radioed that he was trapped in a tree has been rescued and is receiving treatment.

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5:55 p.m. MDT

A woman who was with a man killed in flood waters north of Boulder is missing. Authorities say the woman was swept away after the vehicle she was in got stuck in water. The man died after getting out of the vehicle to help her.

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4:20 p.m. MDT

A National Guard Blackhawk helicopter and other first responders have been dispatched to southeastern New Mexico to help evacuate dozens of campers stranded by floodwaters along the Pecos River.

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2:21 p.m. MDT

Three high-clearance, armored vehicles are heading out to the mountain community of Lyons, where residents have been trapped by flooded roads. The Red Cross says about 200 people have taken shelter in a school there.

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2:03 p.m. MDT

No Coast Guard helicopters are coming to landlocked Colorado after all. Gov. John Hickenlooper has retracted a tweet announcing that the choppers were dispatched to help with flooding. National Guard rescue helicopters based in the state have been grounded by low visibility.

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1:25 p.m. MDT

Access to the mountain community of Lyons has been completely cut off because of flooding and residents are hunkering down at higher ground. Despite all the water, residents are being told to only drink bottled or boiled water because of a possible breach of the town’s water system.

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1:15 p.m. MDT

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was slinging passes with a glove on his throwing hand as rain came down at the team’s practice center in Englewood, Colo. The Broncos have a nearby indoor training facility for bad weather, but practiced on the turf as they prepare for the Giants in New York on Sunday.

The Boulder County sheriff’s office is telling people to shelter in place rather than evacuate, because more people are injured in their cars. “Stay home or if they’re in danger climb to higher ground,” said Cmdr. Heidi Prentup. Many area roads are closed.

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11:34 a.m. MDT

Dave Finn, who lives near Niwot northwest of Boulder, said he had to knock down a fence to release water that had backed up behind it. He said he destroyed his fence to save his house.

“I’ve never seen it like this. You know, we sort of roll our eyes when they say you have to be prepared for the 100-year flood, so here we are,’” he said.

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11:18 a.m. MDT

Heavy rainfall is forecast throughout much of central and northern New Mexico through the weekend, with the possibility of flash flooding.

National Weather Service meteorologist Kerry Jones says it’s likely some areas could see 6 to 10 inches of rain through the weekend.

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10:59 a.m. MDT

Some of Thursday’s flooding was exacerbated by wildfire burn scars that have spawned flash floods up and down Colorado’s Front Range this summer. That was particularly true in an area surrounding Jamestown scarred by the Fourmile Fire in 2010, and an area near Waldo Canyon in Colorado Springs to the south, which was hit in 2012.

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10:17 a.m. MDT

“This is not an ordinary day, it is not an ordinary disaster. All the preparation in the world … it can’t put people up those canyons while these walls of water are coming down,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.

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9:48 a.m. MDT

Rain showers and thunderstorms were expected through Thursday, with possible spot storms capable of dumping an inch of water within a half-hour, the weather service warned.

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9:34 a.m. MDT

At a news conference, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said National Guard helicopters are on standby, but they have been grounded because of continuing rain.

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